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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25201303">Petrichor</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple'>Mersheeple</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hearts&amp;Cauldrons Prompts [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Potions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:00:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>930</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25201303</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Petrichor - The smell after the rain. Severus hated the rain. But the time after it was sometimes quite nice...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Severus Snape</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hearts&amp;Cauldrons Prompts [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Petrichor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyHeliotrope/gifts">LadyHeliotrope</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Another prompt from the lovely lady with a word list! Thank you so much for the inspiration...lol</p>
<p>&lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been raining. It seemed to always be raining these days. Maybe it was just his mood but it genuinely felt like it would never stop raining. Everything felt grey and fuzzy and miserable and it was all her fault.</p>
<p>Her. Hermione Granger. Gryffindor Princess and generally insufferable pain in his behind. She was his Apprentice. She should be there. By his side, working on the tricky potion they had spent months working on. It was for her anyway. Why wasn’t she there? He growled in frustration as he finished counting stirs, turning the heat down to let the potion simmer while he prepared the next ingredient.</p>
<p>This was a potion of their own design. It was supposed to help people with Cruciatus scars. People like him, though she didn’t know it. People like her, though he had only found out recently. So many people from the War would be helped by this potion and he was determined that it would work. He began to slice the Sopophorous pods, his dragon-hide gloves protecting his hands from any stickiness left behind from the previously removed beans.</p>
<p>This was the trickiest part of the Potion. He didn’t want to put someone into a coma or a sleep as deep at the Draught of Living Death with this potion. He wanted to numb their nerves before the stripping of the spell by the other parts of the potion. Hermione had suggested using a two part potion, one for the nerves and one to remove the remaining Dark Magic but he had argued against it.<br/><i><br/>“How much pain do you want them in Severus? For Merlin’s sake, knock them out and then remove the Dark Magic!” Hermione huffed in frustration and he practically growled at her.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>“They already are in pain damn it! A two part potion will be useless if you knock them out before they can fully drink the second potion. Think about it! Use that formidable brain of yours woman!”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Then the second part should be a bloody salve! I’ve said this before! If we can make a balm that removes the scarring as well…”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Most people who have scars from the Cruciatus won’t be able to consent to the use of the potion!”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Some of us bloody well will!” She had ripped her blouse over her head then, her chest heaving as she panted and he had stared at her, his jaw dropped, silenced not for the first time in her presence. There, on her stomach, leading into the top of her jeans, was a spider webbed scar from the Cruciatus. He swallowed tightly, raising his eyes to hers slowly, lingering on her breasts for just a second too long as he noticed the scars that stretched under her bra as well.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Who? When…?” His voice was croaky and he coughed delicately to clear his throat.</i>
</p>
<p><i>“Bellatrix Lestrange. At Malfoy Manor…when we got captured by the Snatchers…” Her voice was quiet and he stepped forward, wanting to offer some form of comfort to this incredibly strong woman in front of him. The words wouldn’t come and he watched, slightly disappointed, as she blushed, covering herself up with her blouse again. Not before he noticed that the blush reached the top of her perfectly perky breasts though.<br/></i><br/>He added the perfectly prepared pods to the deep green liquid in his cauldron, rocking back on his heels slightly as the bubbles rose, almost looking angry. He began a slow count in his head before picking up his stirring rod, and began to stir, only stopping when the potion turned viridian. He smiled slightly and grabbed the lavender buds he would need, knowing they would leave their scent on his fingers but not really caring as he considered it a pleasant smell. It vaguely reminded him of her and he smiled to himself.<br/><i><br/>She leaned over her books, working on the Arithmancy charts. It was her second Mastery that she was working on at the same time as working with him and she liked to prove that they were right before they even attempted a new potion. He moved closer and caught the scent of flowers.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>“What is that smell?” Severus spoke without thinking, as was his standard thought process.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Oh, umm, it’s my new shampoo. Is it particularly strong?” She looked sheepish and he frowned slightly.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“It is stronger than the last one you used. It is not unpleasant. I just was not expecting the smell of flowers.”</i>
</p>
<p><i>“Lavender and juniper berries. It’s…well, it’s my own shampoo. It has a charm through it that should make it even less likely that my hair will get in your way like before.” She ducked her head and he cringed, remembering how he had complained that her hair was getting everywhere when he had been embarrassed to be caught sniffing her hair. Again.</i><br/><br/>The door slammed open and he was thankful that he was not holding anything at the time. His eyes whipped up to hers and she blushed prettily. She closed the door, locking and warding it behind her silently, letting him finish counting stirs before she moved closer and spoke to him.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry I’m late Severus. I got caught in the cloudburst. It’s stopped raining now but I came straight here.” She smiled sheepishly and he closed his eyes, nodding slightly as he softly inhaled her scent. Lavender, juniper, and the smell of the ground after the rain. The smell of friendship. The smell of Hermione. The smell of what he wanted, more than anything else in the world.</p>
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